Someone asked What holds teachers back from doing what's needed and I replied...

What holds us back from doing what's needed? US. In todays education system there is an emphasis on regulation, test scores and protocol. Some teachers know the school is sinking fast but they don't want to "rock the boat' and speak out against it in an effective manner.

On the other hand (I see the problem on both sides of the coin) I get so sick of all these movies about super hero teachers who changed the mental capacity and structure of their schools. The movies give you the notion that being a renegade is easy and those of us who teach like regular people are fearful and brainless conformist. Well the truth is...it is hard to be a leader in the education system nowadays. The administration will get rid of you. They will write you up. They will outcast you and make your life hell just for trying to be innovative and creative in your classroom.

They want every teacher to teach their children the same way and they judge your performance based on state mandated exams. These exams are not even a part of the curriculum or text books they provide. I can be a super hero in the classroom. Sure, I can make a difference. I do make a difference.

A lot of times though it calls for teachers spending their own money making that difference and their own time. I work 80 hrs a week as a teacher. The resources are low. We have 120 kids on our rosters but they only provide an extra $200 a school year for supplies. The kids refuse to bring school supplies with them. They refuse to do Homework. The parents are at work. Everything is put on the teacher's shoulders. I have 10th graders who read on a 3rd grade level. I have 12th graders who don't know how to write a research paper (or even a paragraph). Yes, I can be a super hero teacher but what will they gain in the small amount of time I have them if they will not reinforce what they learn at home...with homework.

Some of my students don't even see books until they come to school. Teachers can improve their attentiveness and be more personally involved with their students...but there are 120 of them and they refuse to come to tutoring. Many kids have lives that do not support the demands education can place on ones life. You can be nice. You can be strict. You can be in between but if the motivation to learn and the importance of learning has not been instilled in them at home, you are wasting your time. The best thing we can do is train the parents to be better parents. The next thing we can do is restructure the entire education system. Get rid of the desks and get work stations. Get rid of the dry erase boards and use LCD screens and pointers that can write directly on the screen. This is 2008 and the education system and schools are still structured like they were in the 6os. If you drop a rose into a pile of horse manure to do a job don't be surprised if, after a while, the rose starts smelling like horse manure. No matter how great a teacher you are the ineffective nature and nurture of the environment in which you work will have a bigger voice.

All we can do is push on. Some teachers are doing the best they can but their test scores still stink. The morale of the students still stink. The class average still stinks. Teaching has become a frustrating endeavor with little rewards. Criticism comes from "experts" with no vested interest in the teacher. All teachers are completely different. Everyone needs individual accommodations in order to reach their full potential. Just like the students the teachers need one on one time with people who ACTUALLY care. We can all help; Teachers, Administration, Parents, Students and Community to stop the reeking of this mess we have created.
The rose smells like horse crap and whose fault is it? You be the judge.

I have seen the Mountain Top

I am satisfied with the election. But I think everyone is just waiting for the shock to wear off or for some Fox news Expose' to come out causing us to change our minds about our new Pres. They say When things seem too good to be true, they probably are. But it seems that this is really real; Obama is really in there-all the way. Democrats reign again!! ...Right?

Can we really have our cake and eat it too ? Can we really have the lighthearted, fortune-filled days of Bill Clinton all over again? Can we really live in the sky like Obama makes us feel?

Well, I am quite afraid but, just in case, I have dug HOPE out of storage and I have sent my old wings to the dry cleaners...

OBAMA FOR AMERICA!!! XOXOXOXOXO

I am so elated and amazed at the turn of events on November 4th. I watched it all happen on a big screen at a church up the street from my house and witnessed the roar, screams and cries of excitement when the words " Breaking news: Obama elected President of the US" flashed across CNN. It was UNBELIEVABLE.

The crowd was so loud, I am sure people probably heard us across town. It was as if Jesus himself had made a surprise appearance. People were crying, wailing, shouting and stomping. It was like a big bomb filled with hope, love and joy had dropped.

I still cannot tell you exactly what it was like...it was probably equal to the terror of the moment when that second airplane crashed into the 2nd tower in NY. IT WAS THE SURPRISE OF ALL SURPRISES. It was the best Christmas gift. It was so fulfilling. It was something that puts a permenant smile on my heart. I love that man. Wow, and I love our creator. And AMERICA!

I am so OVERJOYED and PROUD to be a citizen of a country such as this. Obama will you marry me? Will you hug me with your smile? Will your policies embrace me and protect me as I age?

Obama, will you lead me to higher heights and brighter skies? Will you give the youth a new hero? It is a blessing and a miracle to be able to share a country with a force, a voice, a Christian such as you. MUAH!

It's a shame, I am in love with Michelle's man. God so loved the world that he gave us Jesus and Jesus so loved America that he gave us that man; Barack Obama.

Is that over-reaching? maybe. But the history books will say: In 2008 a beautiful"Change" came and the world has never been the same.

To my people in the struggle...

If I was to tell you that you are something special, would you agree with me?

Maybe you would smile and say, "I know" but in your mind you'd think, "I guess".

Baby, look at these words and believe it in your heart; YOU ARE SOMETHING SPECIAL.

There is not another like you. You are a Queen, (A Prince), A Diamond, a Jewel. You are more valuable to this world than the Sun. You are a great friend, lover and confidant.

I think you should know it.

Today is not just another day. Today is a blessing to you. It is your gift for being who you are.

You CAN get the job. You CAN lose the weight. You can make him/her happy. You can impress your boss. You can and you will. Here is your renewal of strength. Rise up and take it.

You are something. You are something else. Dang, You are something special. You are off the chain. As a matter of fact, Girl (or Dude) you are Da Bomb! Go ahead, pop your collar. Shake them haters off! Do whatever you have to do. The DREAM is yours and you will LIVE it. The gift is yours and you MUST give it! Don't you see? Don't you feel it? It is your time. The time is now!

Your prime is now. You are indeed a sight to behold. Don't be afraid of you. You are a leader! You are #1. You can and you will be___________________.

Tadah! your dreams are reality if you only believe.

Our Teens have chosen SLAVERY over knowledge!

POSTED on VENTINGOUT.COM by Rtimes3

I HAD A DREAM THAT THE YOUNGER GENERATION WAS ENSLAVED LIKE BACK IN THE OLD DAYS. NOT HAVING NO RIGHTS, BEING TREATED LIKE SHIT, MADE TO DO ALL THE HARD LABOR, ETC. DURING THIS DREAM I ASKED HOW DID IT GET TO THIS POINT AND ONE OF THE SLAVE SAID I DON'T KNOW I REPLIED HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW HOW IT GOT BACK TO

THIS AND HE HELD HIS HEAD DOWN AND WENT ON ABOUT HIS DAILY SLAVING. IN MY DREAM I TRIED TO GET THEM TO REMEMBER THEIR ROOTS BUT FAILED.

THEY DIDN'T REMEMBER ALL THE STRUGGLES THAT THEIR ANCESTORS HAD TO GO THROUGH. THEY WERE LIKE MINDLESS SHEEP. THEY WERE EASILY CONTROLLED BY MUSIC BUT NOT ANY KIND OF MUSIC THEY WERE CONTROLLED BY VIOLENT POINTLESS GARBAGE MUSIC AND THEY LOVED IT.

I WOKE UP IN A COLD SWEAT AND A SLIGHT HEADACHE AND LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW TO SEE AND HEAR THE SAME GARBAGE MUSIC I HEARD IN MY DREAM AND FOR A SECOND I PONDERED WOULD THEY APPRECIATE THEIR FREEDOM BETTER IF THEY WERE TO BE ENSLAVED AGAIN AND HAD TO FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS.

THIS WAS JUST A THOUGHT. THE YOUNGER GENERATION ARE ENDANGERED OF BECOMING SLAVES LIKE OUR ANCESTORS BUT THIS KIND OF SLAVERY IS MUCH MORE MENTAL... WAKE UP BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

By KDW

Check out his inspirational art work on : http://www.kurtiswatkins.com/